Thursday, October 22, 2020

Laphroiag 10

 Out running errands this afternoon, I stopped by a new liquor store, Southbound Spirits, who has recently opened in Pineville.  Pineville, my current home town, was dry as a bone during the decades following the Second World War.   Recently, the city was forced to put the matter to a vote, after a petition was launched, that forced the matter to be decided by a vote, and the citizenry voted to make Pineville wet.  Very wet.  The First Baptist Church was not amused.

So, we've had one established smoke shop add liquor and spirits to their inventory, and now Sourhbound Spirits.  I stopped by to check inventory.   Every liquor store has to carry certain items.  Certainly Jack Daniels and Jim Beam, and J&B Scotch, and Johnny Walker.  But, good scotch is hard to find in a tiny market, and I was quite intrigued to find that they had a fair collection on the wall.  Ardbeg and Glenfiddich, and Glenmorange were present, along with Irish whiskeys such as two presentations of Jameson, along with Keeling.

Talking with the proprietor, she mentioned that she wanted to fill the niche for Schotch and Irish drinkers, and we swapped ideas.  To show her that I was serious, I picked up a bottle of Laphroiag 10, the only one she had in the shop.  Laphroiag is a heavily peated Scotch, a representation of Islay whiskey, sold in the US at 43% ABV (86 proof)


This will be my first foray into heavily peatedd whiskey, and I'm intrigues to see what it is all about.  From what I've heard, it is sometimes an acquired taste, but for other it is ecstasy at first taste.

I know my way around a bourbon bottle, but I have very limited experience with Scotch, and that is mainly highland whiskeys.  It comes highly rated by the snobs, but we'll have to see for ourselves

They didn't have any Lagavulin, but we'll work on that.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

I tried Ardberg a couple times, and just couldn't stand it (and I LIKE scotch). Tastes to me, literally, like someone soaked old cigar butts in turpentine.

My go-to scotch is Glenmorangie. I also like Glenlivet.

Mark D

robert orians said...

Sadly my 12 year old Speyburn is down near the bottom . It is not peated but clear and bright with a long lasting taste that breaks through the dark cigars I get from ex-Cubans in the Honduras .Scotch and cigars ! I have to work at limiting them . I'm 70 now so it must be working !

Peripatetic Engineer said...

https://peripateticengineer.blogspot.com/2020/09/laphroaig.html

TechieDude said...

Somewhere along the way, I lost my taste for scotch.

Don't know what it was, but my palate changed and now they all taste like paint thinner to me, even the best, most expensive.

Old NFO said...

Very peaty but that is typical of Islay Scotch.

Anonymous said...

Not a fan of the lowlands peat flavor. Highlands are my fav. Honestly hard to beat a bottle of Glen 12 year for a nice sipper that won't break the bank. Balvenie makes several nice ones, can't remember not liking one?